A disproportionate number of 50:50 decisions seemed to go against the Boys in Green in the first half, and they might have been awarded a penalty on another day, after Shane Long was taken out by the Belgian defence moments before the opening goal.
However, to paint this incident as being akin to some sort of egregious injustice á la the Thierry Henry handball incident in 2009 would constitute a gross distortion of how the rest of the game panned out.
The Long incident is the type of call that referees rarely give — not that it was justifiable to ignore it — but even Martin O’Neill admitted afterwards that his side were beaten by the better team.
Every match will have decisions that go for and against teams — the most relevant aspect of today’s match is that Ireland simply weren’t good enough and were outclassed by a far better side on the day.
2. Ireland wasteful in possession
17 - Darren Randolph attempted more passes than any #IRL player in the first half v #BEL. Hoof. #Euro2016
After the encouraging display for large parts of the opening match against Sweden, this afternoon in Bordeaux felt like a backwards step.
The possession stats were actually identical in the two matches, with Ireland having 43% of the ball on both occasions.
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However, while the Boys in Green were the better team in the first half against Sweden, the Irish side only enjoyed anything like sustained possession after going behind against Belgium and with the game looking increasingly out of reach.
In addition, against Sweden, Ireland looked in control for the vast majority of the first period, whereas today, they struggled to string two passes together when it mattered.
Martin O’Neill put the team’s lack of technical ability down to nerves afterwards, but many will suggest that the players simply weren’t good enough to rise to the occasion.
Surely therefore, the bottom line is that Belgium are a far better side technically than the Swedes and the Boys in Green couldn’t compete with their brilliance ultimately.
3. Belgian criticism was exaggerated
Petr David Josek
Petr David Josek
Coach Marc Wilmots argued after today’s that Belgium had received a disproportionate degree of criticism after a loss to a very accomplished Italy side, and it was difficult to disagree.
Since Wilmots took charge in 2012, the Belgians have lost only three competitive matches, against Argentina, Wales and of course, the Italians.
While the Fifa rankings are not always an entirely reliable measure of a team’s quality, the fact that the Red Devils are currently second gives some sense of how talented and consistent a team they usually are.
Today against Ireland, the gulf in class showed, as Romelu Lukaku emphasised why he is one of Europe’s most highly-rated strikers, with two clinical finishes to kill off faint hopes of an Irish victory.
4. In a team of under-performers, James McCarthy was the most obvious culprit
James McCarthy appears dejected during the UEFA Euro 2016, Group E match at the Stade de Bordeaux. Chris Radburn
Chris Radburn
Ireland as a team today were poor, so it’s harsh to single out any individual.
However, Martin O’Neill must have been particularly concerned by the performance of James McCarthy, who was replaced by James McClean after 62 minutes today.
Martin O’Neill said he chose to take off McCarthy because the Everton midfielder looked “tired,” but the 25-year-old has struggled all tournament, appearing sluggish in the Sweden game also.
There were concerns about the player’s fitness going into the tournament, and he simply hasn’t looked like the same sharp player who gave such a commanding display in Ireland’s 1-0 win over Germany last October.
McCarthy made a poor attempted challenge for Belgium’s first goal and failed to track Axel Witsel for the second, and while he has been an ever present when available under O’Neill, there is now a genuine question mark over whether he’ll start the Italy game.
5. Win or bust against Italy
Ireland’s fate has become clearer after today’s game — a win over Italy is needed if they are to retain any hope of progressing to the next round of Euro 2016.
Four points would likely be enough to send the Irish through as one of the best third-place teams, assuming Belgium secure second place by beating Sweden.
Italy will top the group regardless of what happens against Ireland, as they have a superior head-to-head record with Belgium who are the only team in Group E still capable of finishing level on points with Antonio Conte’s side.
But while Italy have nothing but pride to play for against Ireland and are likely to rest some of their stars, facing the Italians is still bound to be a tough task, particularly if O’Neill’s men play as they did today.
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Blaming the ref is clutching at straws and more Ireland-Belgium talking points
Paul Fennessy reports from Bordeaux
1. Blaming the ref is clutching at straws
THE REFEREE DIDN’T do Ireland many favours today.
A disproportionate number of 50:50 decisions seemed to go against the Boys in Green in the first half, and they might have been awarded a penalty on another day, after Shane Long was taken out by the Belgian defence moments before the opening goal.
However, to paint this incident as being akin to some sort of egregious injustice á la the Thierry Henry handball incident in 2009 would constitute a gross distortion of how the rest of the game panned out.
The Long incident is the type of call that referees rarely give — not that it was justifiable to ignore it — but even Martin O’Neill admitted afterwards that his side were beaten by the better team.
Every match will have decisions that go for and against teams — the most relevant aspect of today’s match is that Ireland simply weren’t good enough and were outclassed by a far better side on the day.
2. Ireland wasteful in possession
After the encouraging display for large parts of the opening match against Sweden, this afternoon in Bordeaux felt like a backwards step.
The possession stats were actually identical in the two matches, with Ireland having 43% of the ball on both occasions.
However, while the Boys in Green were the better team in the first half against Sweden, the Irish side only enjoyed anything like sustained possession after going behind against Belgium and with the game looking increasingly out of reach.
In addition, against Sweden, Ireland looked in control for the vast majority of the first period, whereas today, they struggled to string two passes together when it mattered.
Martin O’Neill put the team’s lack of technical ability down to nerves afterwards, but many will suggest that the players simply weren’t good enough to rise to the occasion.
Surely therefore, the bottom line is that Belgium are a far better side technically than the Swedes and the Boys in Green couldn’t compete with their brilliance ultimately.
3. Belgian criticism was exaggerated
Coach Marc Wilmots argued after today’s that Belgium had received a disproportionate degree of criticism after a loss to a very accomplished Italy side, and it was difficult to disagree.
Since Wilmots took charge in 2012, the Belgians have lost only three competitive matches, against Argentina, Wales and of course, the Italians.
While the Fifa rankings are not always an entirely reliable measure of a team’s quality, the fact that the Red Devils are currently second gives some sense of how talented and consistent a team they usually are.
Today against Ireland, the gulf in class showed, as Romelu Lukaku emphasised why he is one of Europe’s most highly-rated strikers, with two clinical finishes to kill off faint hopes of an Irish victory.
4. In a team of under-performers, James McCarthy was the most obvious culprit
Ireland as a team today were poor, so it’s harsh to single out any individual.
However, Martin O’Neill must have been particularly concerned by the performance of James McCarthy, who was replaced by James McClean after 62 minutes today.
Martin O’Neill said he chose to take off McCarthy because the Everton midfielder looked “tired,” but the 25-year-old has struggled all tournament, appearing sluggish in the Sweden game also.
There were concerns about the player’s fitness going into the tournament, and he simply hasn’t looked like the same sharp player who gave such a commanding display in Ireland’s 1-0 win over Germany last October.
McCarthy made a poor attempted challenge for Belgium’s first goal and failed to track Axel Witsel for the second, and while he has been an ever present when available under O’Neill, there is now a genuine question mark over whether he’ll start the Italy game.
5. Win or bust against Italy
Ireland’s fate has become clearer after today’s game — a win over Italy is needed if they are to retain any hope of progressing to the next round of Euro 2016.
Four points would likely be enough to send the Irish through as one of the best third-place teams, assuming Belgium secure second place by beating Sweden.
Italy will top the group regardless of what happens against Ireland, as they have a superior head-to-head record with Belgium who are the only team in Group E still capable of finishing level on points with Antonio Conte’s side.
But while Italy have nothing but pride to play for against Ireland and are likely to rest some of their stars, facing the Italians is still bound to be a tough task, particularly if O’Neill’s men play as they did today.
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